Valve-lifter



W. E. DUNSTAN.

vALvE umn. APPLICATION FILED NOV. I0. 1920.

Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

ATTORNEY.

l of the sri" errar eric WILLIAM E. DUNSTAN, OF MQDESTO, CALIFORNIA vALvn-Lrrrnn.

Application vled. November 10, `1920. Serial No. 423,114. v p i To all 'tv/"wm t may concern: y

Be it known that Wirtin-M E. DUNsrAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Modesto in the county of Stanislaus and State of California, Vhas invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve- Lifters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to valve lifter-s and more particularly to valve lifters for internal combustion engines.

An object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which will readily compress the spring of the valve to permit the valve to be reached for repairs and other purposes. n y Another object is to provide a valve lifter including means adapted to engage the spring of the valve and a bar carried by the first mentioned means for engagement with the head of the valve, and means for moving the first mentioned means step by step longitudinally of the bar.

Another object is to provide avalve lifter of this characterincluding aspring engaging arm and a bar slidably mountedgonf said arm, and means for actuating said bar comprising a plurality of pawls, one of said pawls serving tok loclr the bar after each movement thereof, 'another of said pawls being used to move the bar in one direction, and means whereby theloclring pawl and actuating pawl permit retraction of the bar.

A still further object ofthe invention is to provide a novel operating means for a valve lifter of this character including a pivoted lever, said lever being manually operable to permit movement of the bar of the lifter in one direction through the medium of the pawls, and automatically and manually operable to permit movement of the bar in the opposite direction through the medium pawls.

With the above and-other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more particularly described,

fully claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which l Figure 1 is a vertical elevation of a valve lifter constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the cover of the casing of the lifter being removed to show the lifting mechanism.

Fig. 2 kis `a front elevation of the valve lifter, the casing being shown in section.

Referring to the drawings, A designates V an engine cylinder including the valve B, said valve being provided with a spring C.`

ln order to' compress the spring C to. per` mit operation of the valve B independently thereof for the purpose of repairsand the' like, there is provided a novel valve lifting mechanism comprising a spring supporting member 5, said member including a pair of' U-shaped arms 6 disposed in spaced parallel relation to each other 'and connected by means of bushings 7 vand bolts or `rivets 8. By this means the spring supporting member 'is rendered substantial so that pressure f will not distort the same.` The end portion 9 of the spring supporting member is disposed in spacedrelation to the end portion 10, the extremity of the end'portion 10 be-` ing provided with a socket 11 having formed'v therein a spring seat 12, said* seat being adapted to engage the lower portion of the spring C when the valve is being lifted.

Carried by the end 9 of the spring supporting member is a casing 13, said casing Slidably mounted in the casing 13, is a rack bar or plunger 18, yone longitudinal edge of the bar being provided with a series of rack teeth 19. Each end of the bar is providedy with a stop 20 adapted to prevent disen-"- gagement of the bar from the casing. `The bar 18 is intended to move toward the spring socket 1l in order to engage the head of the valve B when the valve is to be lifted.

To rpermit this operation, a novel actuating mechanism is provided, said mechanism comprising a lever 21,said lever being pivoted at its intermediate portion within the casing by means of the screw 22. `The end 23 of the lever extends through a'slot'2t formedy in the side of the casing remote from the bar 18, said end having an operating handle 25 secured thereto.` The end 26 of the lever is disposed within the casing and is tapered. An actuating pawl 27 is pivoted to the tapered end 26, said pawl having a pin 28 extending from the lower side portion thereof adjacent the end of the pawl. A spring 29 is secured by means of the pin 30 to the yof which will be hereinafter described.-

end portion 26 of the lever between the pivotal connection of the pawl to the lever Y and the screw 22, said y'spring being coiled about the pin 30 and Vthen extended downwardly into engagement with the pin 28. By this means the pawl 27 is constantly .urged towardv the bar 18. The end 26 of the lever is normally urged upwardly within the casing by means'of asprin'g 31, one end of said spring being secured as at 32 to theside of the casingbeneath the lever 21,

A by means of which the lever 21 is moved upwardly so as to permit the pawl 27 to envgagethe rack teeth 19'.

*n engagement with a pin 37 which projects from the end of the locking pawl 33 in an- Y' A locking pawl 33 is pivoted in `the casing 13 beneath the Yend 26 of the lever 21by means of a pin 34said pin including a recess 35 adapted to receive one end of a spr1ng36, said spring being coiled about the pin 34 and extended' downwardly into guiar relation thereto. This locking pawl is intended to lock the bar 18 uponv completion of each lmovement thereof toward or away Y fromtheend portion 10 of the spring support soth'at accidental retraction is imposs1- ble. The pawl is of course moved in a step Vby step fashion through the mediumA of the y'actuating pawl 27 upon movement of the handle 25, the pawls 27 and 33 alternating vto engage the rack teeth 19..`

To permit retraction of the pawl 18 after -thespring C has been compressed, without causing damage to the lifter, there is provided a lever 38, said lever including an an- Y gular extension 39 on one end thereof, and

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having its end 40 recessed as at 41. The lever 39 is pivoted within the casing by means of a pivot pin 42. By this means the body portion of the lever is disposed substantially parallel to the bar 18 and side ofVV the casing while the extension 39 isdisposed substantially parallel tothe end 15 of the, casing. An opening 42L is provided in theV end V15 of the casing, beneath which the end of the extension 39 is disposed, said eXtension having a recess 43. 1n order to preventcontact of the lever -38 with the pawls 27 and 33, when the bar'18 is being moved toV ward the end portion 10' of the valve support, there is provided a cam lever 44, which is pivoted in theopening42, the cam extension 45 thereof being adapted to engage the extension 39, said extension 45 being disposed in the recess 43 to prevent accidental disengagement thereof.

It is of course. obvious, in view of the Y locking pawl 33 that vit is impossible for the vbar 18 to retract or move in theopposite direction of its. own accord Topermit this however, a spring 46 is disposed within the y casing 13, the end 47 of the spring being se- Vcured' tothe casing, while the end portion 48 is extended back upon the spring and disposed in engagement with the end portion 4G of the lever 38 to urge the lever toward and into engagement with the pins 28 and when the lever 44 is disengaged from the extension.

In the operation of the device, the lower portionof the spring C isdisposed in the socket 11 inengagement with the spring seat 12, while theb'ar 13 is extended through the opening` or port above the valve head into engagement with the same,vthis operation being possibleV by forcing thel bar 18 through A the casing independently of the actuating means therein. After the device is thus positioned, the operator with one hand, grasps the handle 16a, operates the handle 25 and the cam lever 44 to permit contact of the lever 38 with the pawls 27 and 33. This Vleaves the other hand of the operator freev to manipulate the keeper on the end of the valve stem. The casing 13 and the spring supporting member are thereby moved upwardly on the bar iii a step by step manner until the spring C has been compressed to the extent desired, whereupon the means se- 18. -During this operation Vthe pin 28 of the pawl 27'is disposed yin therecess 41 of the lever 48. Y After the pin 28 is moved from the recess 41, the pressure ofthe pawl in engagement'with theraclr bar forces the lever 38 away from Athe pawl 33 against the tension of the spring 46 whereupon the spring 36 forces theloclring paw/l 33 intovr engagement with the raelrbar 18 to thereby permit movement of the casing 13 and the spring supporting arm in a vstep by step fashion on the bar 18, the speed of this movement being controlled by the operator through the medium of the handle 25. This operation is continued to alternately engag and disengage the pawls 33 and 27 from the rack bar 18 until the spring C expands to its normal position. `When the vlower end of the Vrack bar `is moved to apoint in alinement with the end portion 9 of the spring support 5, the device may be readily disengaged from the engine. l Y Y n y From Athe foregoing it will be readily seen that thisinv'ention provides a novel form of Vvalve'l lifter capable of being readily applied Vto the engine and operated to eiliciently compress the spring of the valve regardless ofthe strength of the spring and wherein it is impossible for the casing and supporting arm to move accidentally longitudinally of the raclr bar through the medium of the spring C of the valve, and as a double locking `action is aii'orded by 'the' for moving said body member in one direc' tion on the rod, means engaged With the rod for preventing accidental movement of the rod in the same direction through the body member and means for disengaging the first mentioned and second mentioned means from the rod to permit movement of the body member in either direction on the rod.

2. A device of the character described comprising a body member, a rod slidable in said body member, means for moving said body member in one direction on the rod, means preventing accidental movement of the rod in the opposite direction, and means coacting alternately with the first and second mentioned means to permit gradual movement of the body member in the last mentioned direction upon actuation of the first mentioned means.

3. A device of the character described comprising a body member, a rod slidable in said body member, means for movingl said body member in one direction on the rod, means preventing accidental movement of the rod in the opposite direction, means coacting alternately with the first and second mentioned means to permit gradual movement of the body member in the last mentioned direction upon actuation of the rst mentioned means, and means carried by the i body member for rendering the third men-v tioned means inoperative When the body member is moved inthe first mentioned direction.

4C. A device or' the character described comprising a casing, a supporting arm carried by the casing, a bar movable through the casing toward and ayvayf'rom the arm, manually operative means carriedby the casing for moving the casing and arm in one direction on the bar, automatically operable means carried by the casing to prevent movement of the bar inthe opposite direction, and means carried by the casing and coacting With the first and second mentioned means to prevent movement of the casing, and arm in the last mentioned direction.

5. A valve lifter comprising a casing have ing a supporting arm, a. rack bar slidable through said casing, an actuating paWl mounted in the casing, and adapted to engage the rack bar, a locking paWl mounted in the casing and adapted to engage the rack bar, a lever mounted in the casing and means carried by thecasing and yieldably urging the lever toward the actuating and locking paivls, to cause alternate disengagement of said pavvls from the rack bar through the medium of the actuating paWl.

6. A valve lifter comprising a casing having a supporting arm, a rack bar slidable through said casing, an actuating payvl mounted in the casing, and adapted to engage the rack bar, a locking pawl mounted in the casing and-adapted to engage the rack bar, a lever mounted in the casing and means carried by the casing for yieldably urging the lever toward the actuating and locking paWls to cause disengagement of the locking paWl from the rack bar when plie actuating paivl is engaged With the rack ar. y

7. A valve lifter comprising a casing having a supporting arm projecting therefrom' and adapted to embrace a spring pressed valve stem and support the spring of the valve, a rack bar slidable through said casing, a manually operable actuating payvl mounted in the casing and adapted to engage the rack bar, an automatically operable locking paWl mounted, in the casing and adapted to alternately engage the rack bar With respect to the actuating pavvl, a lever mounted in the casing, one end of said lever having a recess, the other end of said lever being disposed in angular relation to the body portion thereof, means carried by the casing and adapted to engage the lastl mentioned end 0f the lever to move the lever away from the pavvls, the first mentioned end portion of the lever being adapted to engage the locking pavvl to disengage said paWl from the rack bar, the recessed portion of the lever extending over a portion of the actuating paWl to prevent disengagement of the pavvl from the rack bar, said actuating paWl causing disengagement of the lever from the locking pavvl When the actuating paWl is moved from the recess.

Intestimony whereof l hereunto affix my signature.

WILLIAM E. DUNSTAN. 

